“If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary.” – James Madison, Federalist 51.
Even though I believe this above quote and concept is one of the most accurate and powerful of political thought, I have to say it can still lead one astray. I understand that men are not perfect and we need help to live in a society to protect the innocent from humanities’ imperfections. However, we live in reality. Since “men” are all we have to work with and these men are capable of being corrupt, we must be cautious. Putting “men” into positions of government and giving them power is one of the worst things that can be done. Just because we are scared of something bad that men may do one day, does not excuse the action of giving men unreasonable power, unrestricted capabilities and zero accountability. This is not the way. A little bit of evil, will eventually corrupt a little bit. And corruption by its very nature grows and consumes like a cancer. It must be cut out and eradicated. This is why restrictions and true accountability are one of the most necessary components of government. So, the question remains, how much Accountability is needed? How many restrictions should be in place? I will tell you the answers—a whole lot more than we have currently. Restrictions and Accountability must grow over time as the government grows. If you are going to have an imbalance, at least error on the side of caution and have more Accountability of government officials. If you admit men are corruptible, then putting men into unlimited positions of power is unwise. Two wrongs do not make a right.
